Other Important Things
Sebastian sighed, rubbing his temple. “Whatever happened between you two—whatever deal was made—it was meant to stay buried.”
Rowan clenched his jaw.
Not anymore.
Not if he had anything to do with it.
He shoved the documents back into the folder, closing it sharply.
His voice was quiet. Dangerous.
“Find out everything.”
Sebastian met his gaze. “Already on it.”
Rowan exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
His mind was a fucking storm.
His wife—his ex-wife—
The woman he had spent weeks trying to figure out—
Had been his all along.
And he had chosen to forget her.
Sebastian had remained silent as Rowan tried to digest everything, but the weight of the truth stayed behind, clawing at Rowan’s chest.
It wasn’t just the marriage. It was everything surrounding it.
The secrecy. The forced distance. The cold, broken look in Remi’s eyes in those photos.
Rowan’s fingers curled into fists.
No more fucking secrets.
Not from him.
Not anymore.
He pushed off the car seat, pulled out his wallet, and tossed a thick wad of cash onto the dashboard. “For the janitor,” he said flatly.
Sebastian snorted but pocketed the money. “Generous as ever, Vaughn.”
Rowan didn’t bother responding. He threw the car door open, stepping into the crisp night air.
His next move was clear.
—
The home was quiet when he got home.
Too quiet. He would have welcomed it before but now he hated it.
He ignored the looming portraits of past success staring down at him as he walked through the halls, heading straight for the service wing.
When he entered the laundry room, the head maid, Caroline, straightened in surprise. “Sir?”
Rowan cut straight to the point. “The suit I was wearing when I got off the island—have you had it cleaned?”
Caroline blinked, then quickly shook her head. “No, sir. We were waiting for your instructions. It’s still in the storage closet.”
Rowan nodded. “Bring it to me.”
Caroline hesitated, clearly curious, but didn’t question him. “Right away.”
Minutes later, she returned, holding a sealed garment bag.
Rowan took it, nodded his thanks, and walked out.
—
The research facility was dimly lit when he arrived. Most of the staff had left for the night, but a few lab techs were still inside, hunched over microscopes and computers.
A young technician glanced up as Rowan entered, eyes widening slightly at the sight of him.
“Mr. Vaughn,” the tech greeted, standing up a little too quickly.
Rowan didn’t waste time. He placed the garment bag onto the counter. “I need a DNA test done. Urgent.”
The tech glanced at the bag. “On… what, sir?”
“The suit inside,” Rowan said. “I need to know if there are any foreign DNA traces on it.”
The tech frowned. “You’re looking for someone in particular?”
Rowan’s jaw tightened.
He didn’t say her name. Didn’t need to.
“Just test it,” he said.
The tech exhaled, nodding. “It’ll take about six hours to process the results.”
Rowan clenched his fists. Too long.
But he nodded.
“I want the results the moment they’re ready.”
The tech swallowed. “Of course, sir.”
Rowan turned on his heel and walked out.
Six hours.
Six hours before he had proof.
***
Rowan stared at the clock.
Five hours left.
His fingers tapped against the table, restless, his knee bouncing. The room was quiet, dimly lit, but inside his head, it was chaos.
He had no idea what he wanted the results to say.
But those kids…he had seen them once.
Handsome uncle they called him. They wanted him to marry their mother. He wouldn't have mind, the kids were intelligent, their face. The way they acted, it reminded him of himself when he was being shown his childhood videos.
But if it wasn’t—
Rowan exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.
Stop overthinking. Just wait.
A presence moved into his peripheral vision.
A woman.
Dark red dress, heels clicking against the floor as she walked toward him with a confident sway.
“Mr. Vaughn,” she purred, stopping just beside him. “You look tense.”
“Who are you?” He asked.
“Junior lab scientist. Just got off work and was about leaving when I saw you all alone. I thought I could keep you company. I brought drinks for us too.”
Rowan barely glanced at her. “Not interested.”
She smiled, unfazed. “Oh, come on,” she said, sliding into the seat next to him. “I’m just trying to offer some… distraction.”
Her fingers ghosted over his wrist.
Rowan’s eyes finally flicked toward her—cold, unreadable.
“Touch me again,” he said, voice quiet, “and I’ll make sure you never step foot in this city again.”
The woman stiffened.
She tried to mask it with another flirtatious smile, but Rowan had already lost patience.
Then—
His gaze narrowed.
Something about the way she was holding her drink.
He followed the movement of her hand, the slight twitch of her fingers, the way she subtly adjusted her wrist—
She was hiding something.
Rowan’s eyes locked onto her glass.
His body moved before his mind even finished piecing it together.
He grabbed her wrist, forcing her to still.
The woman gasped.
“What—”
Rowan snatched the glass from her hand.
And there it was.
A faint, almost wouldn't be seen powder dissolving at the bottom of the drink.
Rowan’s stomach turned.
His voice came out low, lethal. “What did you just try to make me drink?”
The woman paled.
“I-I don’t—”
Rowan stood, snapping his fingers once.
Security rushed in.
“Escort her out,” Rowan ordered. “And find out who the fuck sent her.”
The woman started panicking.
“Wait—no—”
The guards grabbed her arms.
“I— I was just—”
Rowan stepped forward, looming over her.
“Who sent you?”
She swallowed, trembling now.
“…Gigi.”
Rowan’s eyes darkened.
Disgust curled in his stomach.
Of course.
Rowan’s fingers twitched. “Say that again.”
The woman trembled in the security guard’s grip, her breath ragged. “I— I said it was Gigi. She planned this.”
Rowan exhaled through his nose, forcing himself to stay still. “And what exactly was this supposed to be?”
She swallowed. “I was supposed to spike your drink… but pretend like I accidentally drank it instead. You’d feel obligated to help me. Take me somewhere private. Where I would inject you..”
His jaw tightened. “And then?”
The woman hesitated.
Rowan’s patience snapped. “And then?”
She flinched. “Gigi would be waiting. She—she said once you were drowsy, things would just… happen.”
His stomach churned.
Things would just happen?
His voice dropped. “And how much did she pay you to sell your dignity like this?”
The woman shook her head quickly. “She—she hasn’t paid me yet.”
Rowan laughed.
Sharp. Cold.
“You mean to tell me,” he said slowly, “that you agreed to this shit before you even saw a single cent?”
She winced. “She promised—”
“Yeah?” Rowan’s voice was venomous. “And you believed her?”
The woman’s eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape. There wasn’t one.
Rowan crossed his arms. “Call her.”
Her head snapped up. “W-what?”
“Call. Gigi.” His voice was dangerous. “Tell her the plan worked. That I took the bait.”
The woman paled.
Rowan tilted his head. “Or would you rather let my security handle you instead?”
Her lip trembled. “I—I’ll call her.”
The room went silent as she pulled out her phone. Her fingers shook as she tapped the screen, bringing it to her ear.
The call rang twice.
Then—
“Did it work?” Gigi’s voice came through. “Is he with you?”
The woman hesitated, eyes flickering to Rowan.
His expression didn’t change.
She swallowed. “Y-yes. He—he fell for it.”
A delighted sigh. “Good girl. Where are you?”
Rowan took the phone from the woman’s hand and brought it to his ear.
“Why don’t you guess, Gigi?”
Silence.
Then—
“…Rowan.”
His grip tightened. “You are fucking pathetic.”
Gigi gasped. “Rowan, baby, whatever she said—”
“She said exactly what she needed to.” His voice was cold. “You tried to drug me. Again.”
“I never—”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Another stunned silence.
Rowan exhaled sharply. “I have tolerated you for too long. I have let you drag this out, thinking you had some claim over me. But this?” His jaw clenched. “This is disgusting.”
“Rowan, please,” she pleaded. “You— you’re being emotional. You don’t remember, but we were—”
“I don’t care what we were.” His voice cut through the air. “I will never be yours.”
She scoffed. “And what? You’d rather be with that plague of a woman? That charity case—”
Rowan hung up.
He turned to the guards. “Send her away. And make sure Gigi doesn’t come anywhere near me again.”
The guards nodded, dragging the struggling woman out of the room.
Rowan ran a hand down his face, exhaling slowly.
He didn’t have time for this.
Didn’t have time for Gigi’s games.
His focus was on one thing.
And right now—
That one thing was waiting five floors up, inside a locked lab.
Rowan adjusted his cufflinks, straightened his suit, and walked back to the waiting room.
He had more important things to deal with.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
